First full-colour HD videos of Earth from space offer awe-inspiring view of humanity

An awe-inspiring view of humanity from above can now be viewed by people on the ground after the first high-definition colour videos from the International Space Station were released.

Canadian company UrtheCast released the videos, which show dazzling birds-eye views of London, Boston and Barcelona.

Despite being shot from space the clips reveal the streets of the three great cities in stunning detail, including cars crawling along the roads.

UrtheCast CEO Scott Larson said it was a step forward for humanity.

"With the ultimate goal of connecting the planet and highlighting what unites us all, we’re revealing a perspective of Earth from space that was previously reserved for a small few," he said.

"By opening up our API to the web development community, we’re providing collaboration tools that will help people monitor, protect, and benefit our world and will lead to the democratization of Earth Observation imagery."